The Canarian countryside is already suffering the consequences of climate change, so it needs measures to combat drought, the effects of increasingly frequent tropical storms, and new pests that can reach the islands, according to a forum organized by Efeagro.
At the opening of this forum, which was organized by Platano de Canarias and the energy company Disa, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the regional government Narvay Quintero, stated that the droughts that affected the islands and the rest of Spain were a clear example of climate change and that it represented a great challenge for the agricultural food sector.
Quintero said the consequences generated by climate change could be fought with actions that mitigate it, with planning and by society as a whole.
Domingo Martin, the president of the union of banana producers (Asprocan) and the CEO of Disa, Santiago Rull, who highlighted the commitment of his company in the development of renewable energies in the islands, agreed with Quintero.
The secretary of the Coordinator of Agrarian and Livestock Organizations of Gran Canaria (COAG), Juan Hernandez, emphasized in his speech that, throughout history, climate change had been a natural phenomenon but that this wasn't the case anymore: "We are producing it and we can solve it."
The effects of climate change
The president of Asprocan said that, as a result of climate change, the production of this product would increase and that they needed marketing policies to combat the saturation of markets, something his collective is already working on, as well as looking for new markets where they could sell their product at reasonable prices.
Other consequences of climate change include tropical storms with devastating effects and an increase in pests, which involve costly treatments and little respect for the environment and the regulations that regulate it.
So far, the climate of the Canary islands has acted as a natural barrier against these pests that affect, above all, America, so it is necessary to be vigilant before the entry of these diseases with plans for their attack and control, as they also prevent the development of ecological productions.
Regarding the problems arising from the droughts, which are already affecting wet islands such as La Palma, which is beginning to see the consequences of the drought and does not have desalination plants or sewage treatment plants, Martin stressed that it was necessary to eliminate the bureaucracy that affects these types of facilities.